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Near MissesIncidents that could have resulted in a fatality, but did not.

06/11/2007

Napoleon teen critical after crash in quarry

A 19-year-old Napoleon Township man was in serious condition today after he ran off Austin Road and rolled his pickup truck in a Napoleon Township stone quarry.

Justin E. Nemeth was driving east on Austin Road near Brooklyn Road when he headed off the south side of the road and through a gate blocking the quarry drive, said township Police Chief Michael Curry.

The 2001 Dodge Dakota that Nemeth was driving went down the steep path, struck numerous piles of sandstone and rolled onto its top in the quarry bottom, Curry said.

The truck ended up so far down in the excavation it was not visible from the road.

"He didn't hit his brakes," said Cody Chmielewski, 18, of Brooklyn, who was riding his bike nearby and witnessed the crash. It didn't seem like he even slowed, said Chmielewski, who, with a friend, rushed to Nemeth's aid. "I looked down and saw his tires up in the air. It kind of freaked me out."

Chmielewski and 13 year-old boy, of Napoleon flagged down a passing vehicle and got someone to call 911.

Emergency crews pulled Nemeth from the pickup and took him by ambulance to the nearby Napoleon Airport.

From there, he was airlifted to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor. Nemeth was admitted to the hospital in critical condition and improved overnight, a spokeswoman said.

Curry said he was not certain why or what caused Nemeth to go off the road. The incident remains under
investigation.

Nemeth is a 2006 graduate of Napoleon High School, where he was a standout on the basketball team. The Citizen Patriot named him to the all-area Dream Team last year.